Systems already exist for extracting capsules or cartridges, said systems comprising a housing for the cartridge to be extracted and a needle, for example the systems forming the subject of patent CH 605,293 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,052. In this system, the needle has a dual function. On the one hand, it allows the upper part of the capsule to be opened and, on the other hand, it forms the water intake channel. The disadvantage of this device is that the injection needle can become blocked up over the course of time, on the one hand by the chalk in the water and on the other hand by the coffee grounds. A second disadvantage is that the injection needle makes quite a large hole in the upper part of the cartridge, which means that at the moment when the extracted cartridge is released there is a large discharge of coffee grounds, which soils the system.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,260,190 also relates to a device for extracting closed capsules, in which device the top and the bottom of the capsule are pierced by blades. The problem with this system is that, at the moment of piercing, the blades deform the capsules presently available on the market, for example those forming the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 5,897,899, and this does not afford a good perforation, especially as regards cleanness at the end of extraction. Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,472 also mentions the possibility of carrying out extraction using bevelled cylindrical points. In this case, the problem is that circular openings are created which are too large, and this is detrimental in respect of cleanness of extraction.